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    Ecological Production Functions

      Ecological production functions are mathematical expressions that estimate the effects of changes in the structure, function and dynamics of an ecosystem on outputs that are directly relevant and useful to decision makers. In the context of Corps’ ecosystem restoration, several functions are necessary (see figure below). Proposed restoration measures must be assessed to predict changes in the ecosystem’s physical condition, another function is required to assess the ecological response to the physical changes, and a third function may be required to assess the changes in ecosystem quality. Changes in quality can be further modified to account for values using normalization or monetization. Each "function" can be regarded as a model, and different functions are generally required for each project or perhaps more generally each type of project. The traditional Habitat Assessment Procedure (HEP) is an example of the application of ecological production functions where metrics for the quality function focus on habitat for one or more organisms, expressed as an index from 0 – 1, with 1 reflecting perfect habitat conditions. The HEP approach has been criticized for various reasons, and a more comprehensive and robust set of production functions may be required for most projects.


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